Chair base



- R. K. DAWSON.

CHAIR BASE, APPLICATION FILED 0Ec,22, 1921. 7 ,4 Patented July 18,1922.

2 SHEETSSHEET 1.

R. K.. mwsom.

CHAIR BASE.

APPLICATION FILED DEC.22, 1921. 1,422,933. atented July" 18, 1922. 2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

L I V E I! Z C a a a 14 770 fF/VZKE.

hearts sraras ROBERT K. Dawson, on @UELPH, ONTARIO, cAnAnA.

CHAIR BASE.

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To all 4.0 ham it may concern.

Be it known that I, Bonner K. Dawson, a subject of the King of Great Britain, residing at Guelph, in the province of Ontario, in the Dominion of Canada, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Chair Bases, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to chair bases and particularly to the parts thereof to which the legs of the chairare secured.

The objectsof the invention are to provide a chair base of this kind with a leg clamping device of strong and rigid construction which is so formed that the same can be tightened from time to time to rigidly secure the chair legs thereto; also to provide a device of this kind which is so constructed as to greatly facilitate the assembling of the chair base and which is comparatively inexpensive to construct, also to improve the con struction of devices of this kind in other re spects hereinafter specified.

In the accompanying drawings:

Fig. 1 is a fragmentary sectional elevation of a chair base embodying the invention, on line 1'-1, Fig. 7

Fig. 2 is a horizontal section thereof on line 22, Figure 1, looking up. I

Fig. 3 is a planview thereof on a reduced scale.

Fig. 4 is a fragmentary sectional'elevatio'n thereof on line 4-4, Fig. 8, showing the connection between the clamping members and the top plate.

Fig. 5 is a side elevation of the clamping device showing the same detached from the chair legs.

Fig. 6 is a sectional elevation thereof on line 6'6, Fig. 2.

Fig. 7 is a bottom plan view thereof show ing the clamping nut partly broken away.

The chair base includes the usual legs A which are usually-made of wood, and which extend radially with regard to the hub portion of the chair base. The legs are preferably also provided with recesses a adapted to receive the edges of filler pieces B which conceal the means for securing'the legs together and give thechair a finished appearance.

The means for securing the chair legs together include the usual upright central member, which in the construction shown, is in the form of a central tube or sleeve C, the upper end of which is rigidly secured to an upper plate D of the leg clamping device Specification of Letters Patent.

'center of the chair base. means may be employed for securing the Patented July 18, 1922.

Application filed December 22, 1921. Serial No. 524,086.

and the lower end of which is preferably threaded. The upper plate D may be of any suitable or desired construction, that shown being made of sheet metal which is stamped to the desired form. This plateengages the upp'eredges of the legs and the peripheral portionsIofthe plate are preferably flanged or bent downwardly and engage the upper portions of the filler pieces B. All of these parts have heretofore been used in connection with chair bases and of themselves con stitute no part of this invention.

. In order to rigidly secure the legs to the clamping device, a plurality of clamp-ing bars 'or corner pieces E is provided, these bars being arranged between the inner ends of the chair legs and being formed to engage the inner portions of the-adjacent chair legs, and the clamping bars are preferably adjustable so that they can be moved into gripping engagement with the legs. The clamping members shown are in the form of bars of substantially V-s'haped cross section, the opposite legs or flanges of which are adapted to engage bevelled or inclined faces 6 on the inner portions of the legs and means are provided for drawing the bars toward the center of the chair base, and therebyclamping the bars to the legs. In

the particular embodiment of the invention shown in the drawings, the upper ends of the clamping bars E are secured to the up per plate D, preferably in such a manner that the lower ends of the clamping members may be movable radially with respect to the Any suitable upper ends of the clamping bars to the up per plate, the means in the construction shown including upwardly extending projections 6' formed integral with the bars and adapted to extend through holes in the upper plate D and to be riveted 'or turned over for holding the clamping bars in place. This manner of "securing the "bars to the upper -plate permits the bars to swing about their connection with the upper plate sufficiently to make it possible to clamp the legs securely between the bars.

Any suitable means may be provided for drawing the clamping bars inwardly into their clamping positions and for holding the same in these positions. In the construction shown for this purpose, a nut F is pro vided which has a portion adapted to engage with the threaded lower end of the central tubular sleeve and which has a flaring or conical portion g the inner face of which is adapted to engage with projections or parts G a1 anged at the lower ends of the clamp ing bars The projections G and the cnical portion 7" of the nut are so arranged relatively to each other that by turning the nut in a direction to move the same upwardly along the tubular member C, the lower ends of the clamping bars E will be drawn inwardly, thus swinging the clamping bars about their connections with the upper plate B into clamping engagement with the inner ends of the chair legs. This construction has the advantage of making it possible to quickly and rigidly clamp the legs into their correct relation to the chair base and also it at any time during the use of the chair the legs become loosened due to the shrinlc ing of the wood in the legs or due to the strains to which the wood has been subjected, the legs can be readily tightened by further tightening of the nut F.

The lower faces of the legs may also, if desired, be secured to the usual lower leg securing plate H which in the construction shown, is provided with arms h adapted to be secured to the lower edges of the legs by means of screws. This plate is provided with a central aperture through which the tubular sleeve C is adapted to extend and is also provided with radial recesses it through which the extensions G of the clamping bars project and in which these projections are free to move. The adjusting nut F is secured to the sleeve G atter the lower plate H has been put in place and preferably the adjusting nut and parts cooperating therewith are so designed that it will not contact or engage with the lower plate l-l. This lower plate may be of any other suitable or de sired construction. or if desired. may be omitted.

The construction described has the advantage greatly facilitating the assembling of the chair since the parts can be easily placed into their operative positions and clamped therein by means of the nut F. By pivoting the clamping bars E at their upper ends, a desirable construction results since the clamping action at the upper ends of the legs is not as essential as at the lower ends thereof, owing to the fact that when a weight is placed on the chair base, the upper portions of the legs tend to press in wardly against the leg clamping bars and the lower ends of the legs tend to pull out wardly, which pull is resisted by the clamping bars.

I claim as my invention:

1. A securing device for chair legs including a central upright member, clamping members movable substantially radially with regard to said central member and adapted to grip the chair legs, and means engaging said central member and said clamping members for drawing said clamping members into their clamping positions.

A chair base including legs, the inner ends of which are spaced apart, gripping members adapted to engage the inner ends of said legs and movable toward and from the axis of the chair base, and means for drawing said gripping members toward said axis to clamp said legs.

A chair base including legs, the inner ends of which are spaced apart, substantially upright gripping members arranged bet-ween adjacent legs and each engaging parts of two adjacent legs, and means for drawing said gripping members toward the axis of the chair base to clamp said legs.

4-. A securing device for chair legs including a central upright member, clamping members movable toward and from said central member and adapted to grip the sides of said chair legs, and a nut having a threaded engagement with said central member and engaging said clamping members to draw the same inwardly toward said central member into clamping engagement with said legs.

5. A securing crevice for chair legs including a central upright member, clamping members movable toward and from said central member and adapted to grip the chair legs, and a nut having a threaded engagement with said central member and havinga substantially conical port-ion engaging parts of said clamping members to draw the same into clamping engagement with said legs.

6. A chair base including legs, the inner ends of which are spaced apart, metal bars arranged between the inner ends of said legs and adapted to engage the sides of the legs, and means engaging said metal bars to draw the same inwardly into clamping engagement with said legs.

7. A. chair base including legs, the inner ends of which are spaced apart, metal bars arranged between the inner ends of said legs and adapted to engage the sides of the legs, and a nut engaging the end portions of said bars for drawing the same into clamping engagement with said legs.

8. A chair base including legs, the inner ends of which are spaced apart, and the opposite sides of which are provided with outwardly converging upright faces, clamping members spaced between the inner ends of said legs and having faces adapted to engage the adjacent upright faces of two adjacent legs, and means for drawing said clamping members toward the axis of the chair base into clamping relation to said legs.

9. A chair base including a plurality of radially extending legs, clamping members arranged between the inner portions of said legs, the upper ends of said clamping members being held in fixed relation to each other, and means for moving the lower ends of said members radially into clamping engagement with said legs.

10. A chair base including a plurality of radially extending legs, clamping members arranged between the inner portions of said legs, a plate to which the upper ends of said clamping members are secured, and means engaging the lower ends of said clamping members for moving the same toward the axis of said base into clamping engagement with said legs.

11. A securing device for chair legs including a central upright member, a top plate to which said upright member is secured, clamping members arranged between adjacent chair legs and secured to said top plate, and means adjustable on said upright member for moving the lower ends of said clamping members toward the axis of said base to clamp the chair legs.

12. A securing device for chair legs including a central upri 'ht member, a top plate to which said upright member is secured, clamping members arranged between adjacent chair legs and secured to said top plate, and a nut having a threaded engage-- ment with said upright member and having a part adapted to engage said clamping members for moving the lower ends thereof toward the axis of said chair base into clamping engagement with said legs.

13. A chair base including a plurality of radially extending legs, clamping members arranged between the inner portions of said legs, the upper ends of said clamping members being held in fixed relation to each other, said clamping members having downwardly and inwardly inclined parts, and means engaging said inclined parts for drawing the lower ends of said clamping members toward the axis of said chair base for clamping said legs.

14l-.'A securing device for chair legs including a. central upright member, a top plate to which said. upright member is secured, clamping members arranged between adjacent chair legs and secured to said top plate and having downwardly and inwardly extending projections, a nut having a threaded engagement with said central upright member and having a flaring portion adapted to engage said projections of said clamping members for moving the lower ends of said clamping members to engage with said chair legs.

15. A chair base including legs, the inner ends of which are spaced apart, gripping nembers adapted to engage the inner ends of said legs and movable toward and from the axis of the chair base, means for drawing said gripping members toward said axis to clamp said legs, and a lower plate to which the lower edges of the chair legs are secured.

16. A chair base including a plurality of radially extending legs, clamping members arranged between the inner portions of said legs, the upper ends of said clamping members being held in fixed relation to each other, said clamping members having downwardly and inwardly inclined parts, a plate to which the lower portions of said chair legs are secured and which has apertures through which said inclined parts extend, and means engaging said inclined parts for drawing the lower ends of said clamping members toward the axis of said chair base for clamping said legs.

ROBERT K. DAWSON. 

